Another year, another burst of whisky-related discussion and outrage on the internets – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2014 is out. Over 4500 whiskies, along with Jim’s tasting notes and scores, packed into one pocket sized…

In the latest of our TWE super-features (following on from our great Vodka exploration and follow-up on continuous distillation a couple of months ago), I’ve spent some time discovering the rich history of mezcal, Mexico’s…

So, it’s finally Whisky Show Eve. This is a day that at TWE generally involves lots of running around doing last-minute checks, affixing labels to bottles, amending enormous spreadsheets and general fretting about whether there’s…

Today’s review is of one of the most important, most-revered books about whisky ever written, Whisky by Aeneas Macdonald, which was first published in an edition of 1600 copies by Porpoise Press in 1930. My…

Tomatin has crept under the radar recently to become something of the hipster-namecheck distillery of the moment. This unexpected turn of events is probably down to a number of factors which include the revamp of…

Recent Comments

I think that you have totally missed the point. Many of us are against NAS because increasing lack of information decreases our appreciation for a whisky. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a young 5/6/7/8 year old whisky and as many Distilleries have shown, there is much to enjoy and learn from young spirit, if matured in quality casks. The whole problem is that the Whisky industry doesn't trust us, the consumer to understand this! They patronize us instead by purposely withholding the age of the whiskies used and give the product some fancy name in the hope that we won't notice.
The bottom line is that they are afraid that stating that the youngest whisky in this bottling is 5 years old might negatively affect sales. To this I have two responses. 1. With the right marketing with words like fresh, clean, youthful, vibrant, it can be made to appeal. 2. The age statement does not have to be blazened across the front but can appear at the back somewhere. You can even be very ckever and state age of distilling and year of bottling and leave it up to those who want to know to work it out.
Withholding information like the age of the youngest whisky used or indeed the types of casks used is never a good thing and leads to a feeling by many consumers of dishonesty.Posted on: 19 July 2015

Speaking of "bond of trust", I noticed, after a particularly disappointing glass of Oban (a Diageo whisky), that the label now says simply "Oban 14". Nowhere does it specifically say "14 years old", or indicate the distillation/bottling dates.
As more and more NAS whisky appears, at higher and higher prices, I am convinced that often times a dram of 30 year old is going in to vats of 5 year old whisky and coming out as "Old Captain MacHaggis's ancient recipe very special blend traditional Scots Wa Hae highland and island rare old limited edition." For only $200 a bottle.Posted on: 26 June 2015

The move towards NAS whiskies must stop! Of course distillers like the idea: Spend extra on marketing to sell young/sub-par whisky at a premium price. I, for one, will not be buying anything without an age statement on the bottle along with the words "natural color" and "non-chillfiltered". Bottling at >43% ABV will greatly increase the odds I will purchase.Posted on: 23 June 2015

TWE Blog Team

Web content editor, cocktail lover, former computer programmer, long time blogger about Stuff and Things (including booze) and hat fan. Billy accidentally got a job at TWE in the spring of 2011, leaving behind the world of finance (good timing) to learn all about booze and occasionally write about it. Browse Billy's posts »

A 2013 addition, Rocky (not his real name, he's harder than he looks) joined us from Berry Bros, where a smorgasbord of roles in seven years culminated in exile to Basingstoke as a Spirits Specialist. Responsible for writing product descriptions on the site, he also helps out the team with their travel queries. Browse Rocky's posts »

A graduate from the same journo college as Piers Morgan and, er, Richard Madeley, Essex boy Stuart has been entrusted to keep the TWE website in safe hands. He’s spent the past decade writing for the UK’s best drinks titles, reviewing restaurants for Square Meal, and building his whisky collection. Browse Stuart's posts »

TWE Contributors

Assistant manager at our Vinopolis shop and head of events, putting together the extensive program of masterclasses and tastings that we run during the year, most of which you can read about here on the blog. Sometimes he even gets time to write a post of his own. Browse Chris's posts »

Working the trade from the age of 16, from glass collecting to running his own cocktail bar up in Yorkshire (yes, they do have them up there), Christian now spends his days on the trade side of the TWE team, keeping London’s bars fully stocked, then doing his best to empty them again. Browse Christian's posts »

A walking whisky encyclopedia who was well versed in the dark arts of whisky sales even before we tempted him into the TWE family back in 2007. These days he can be found in the shop and occasionally putting hand to keyboard for the blog. Browse Duncan's posts »

A west Londoner by birth, Ed left Berry Brothers & Rudd in 2010 to become a freelance writer and educator, and works part time in our Vinopolis shop. In recognition of his love for all things burnt, he became a Mousquetaire d'Armagnac in 2008. Browse Ed's posts »

Musician and occasional inmate of our Vinopolis shop, Hector is know for his lyrical tasting notes and ability to grow a fearsome beard (unleashed only on special occasions). From time to time he graces us with his presence on the blog. Browse Hector's posts »

Heading straight into the world of booze after a journalism degree (the two of which aren’t entirely unrelated), Jane has been writing about bars, spirits and cocktails ever since. Armed with only a napkin and pencil, she’s regularly found in London’s best bars on the hunt for the next story or tasty drink. Browse Jane's posts »

Born and raised just a stone’s throw from head office, Michael is a true graduate of The Whisky Exchange. He started working at TWE in our warehouse in 2009. Since then, he has spent some time working in almost every role from packer to web content editor. These days he is our buyer of old and rare spirits. Browse Michael's posts »

After working his way round a plethora of drinks companies, Ollie joined the shop team in 2011. Having worked on the tastings side and helping organise The Whisky Show, Ollie headed for the of our head office where he works as part of The Whisky Show team and as new business developer. Browse Oliver's posts »